Commonly assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/608,475 discloses the provision of a link between an online multiplayer game and a contact center. A mechanism is provided in the game which can be activated by a player of the game, and upon activation, a communications channel is opened from the game to an agent of the contact center. The player can thus remain in the game and can communicate from the game environment to the contact center.
The present invention provides improvements in communications in online virtual environments, including but not limited to online games and with particular application to but not limited to communications between contact center resources and inhabitants of such virtual environments.